What I Did Today Archive 2008

[Hazel at the Hill]

Good grief, Kris - good to see you!

Yesterday I went to the Hill and dug in the rest of the green manure on the plot which will be legumes. I also dug parsnip and leek, picked kale and a small cabbage. Reflected on the fact that I did not sow enough kale which is utterly delicious but only giving me one meal every week or so.

Today I have sent out a heap of seeds - however seed packets live a shady life in the seed box and multiply of their own accord, I think.

Did next stage on wine kit - checked SG which would appear to indicate that it will be the driest wine ever produced.

Still eating totally from the Hill, veg wise - tonight's dinner roast lamb shanks (inc garlic and onion) served with potato, roast parsnip, leek and cabbage.

[Rockhag]

I hoed around my leeks and garlic, forked over part of the plot, started to dig over another part of the plot and went to B&Q and bought some summer flower bulbs, 2 seed trays, more organic slug pellets and some weed killer.

AND

Managed to blag a 6x4 greenhouse for £50 which I'm going to dismantle on Wednesday. I just hope I can get it in the car. :|

All in all quite a productive day for me.

[terrier]

Whoopee! Due to the wonderful January weather, I spent the day gardening. Yet again filling in the holes in the lawn courtesy of the mole hunting Terriers. Dug up the last of my Desiree spuds, frightened the life out of a nest of mice in the Dalek, spent an entertaining 10 minutes watching the chooks devour a pan of warm mash and, and... I don't know where the day has gone. Rain stopped play as darkness fell.

[kentvegplot]

Made the most of the sunshine this weekend, re-organised the 'shed' (actually an old wendy house), taking out all the saved cardboard ready for my no-dig beds.

Sowed onion and broad beans in greenhouse - not sure if it is really warm enough in there, might bring them into the house.

Moved two raised beds, one out of the tunnel and the other which had been used for no-dig potatoes last year. Both filled with cardboard mulch, then compost, topped off with straw. Covered other old raised beds which are all going to be broken up and moved over the next few weeks.

Picked baby chard and leeks for meals - note to self to grow more leeks next year.

All in all, wonderful way to spend a January weekend.

[moggssue]

Went to measure and photograph new lottie, tried to find glazier for broken panes in 'my' greenhouse but no joy, so home to fix the coldframe instead then retreat indoors to plan my plot!

[Vegmonkey]

Did major renovations to the planting plan this week, bit epic, but very purposeful i think. Got really excited about the potato day my local garden centre is having next week!

[middlefield]

I managed to scrounge some more slabs from a neighbour who is re-doing their patio.

Not only does that mean I've got slabs to build more paths and provide structure to the allotment, I've saved them going in a skip to landfill. I've just got to decide whether to put them by the runner beans or to start at the top part and the permanent area I'm going to put the soft fruit bushes (which we plan lots and lots as I've a 6 year old that can eat her own weight in raspberry's)

[Winged one]

Hi all, bit of a ctach up here.

On Sunday 23rd Dec, I brought my sis to the plot while I harvested my peas (small handful but not really edible in the end), my carrots (6 of the 7 had been root fly-ed - I nearly cried!!) and a cabbage thinning for Xmas dinner. In the end, we only used our own onions and garlic. I also got some lovely greenery, dried thistley things and 2 holly branches for my flower arrangements out of the ditches as we left.

On 27th December, I sent off my T&M order (hoping it arrives in time to use the £5 voucher which expires on 31st Dec!). So loads of tomatoes and carrots and some beetroot for OH on their way to me I hope.

On 1st January, we had a family outing to the plot. Weeded the brassicas (and OH later went back with the slug pellets, I think I sent about 100 of the things flying as I weeded!!) and the autumn sown onions and garlic. Put the plastic back over the bits we haven't dug yet and weighted them down again with lots of heavy stones. And tidied up the nets and pulled up the stakes from the carrot, bean and pea areas we had used in the autumn and up to Xmas Eve. And the toddler got to do her first digging with the spade and fork she got for Christmas!!

On Wed 2nd, after we packed the toddler off to creche, we shredded the tree clippings in the garden (which covered most of the new bed out the back) and tidied up both the front and back gardens.

In the evenings, I have been paying some more attention to seed catalogues and my planting plan, as well as doing som holiday reading. I got the Jamie Oliver book, the "Irish Country Markets cookbook" and a book by an Irish restaurant reviewer who grows his own with recipes from his wife (Tom and Johanna Doorely - I think it's called "Grow to eat"), which are all giving me some interesting ideas.

But didn't get any digging done yet - may take a few days off over the next month or so.

[Dazzler]

I just had to recover my Plastic greenhouse from down the garden.

Im going to have to repot all the strawberries i had in there and it looks like the Lupins i had in there have had it (goof job i noticed that there a quite a few more popping up around the lupin plants in the garden)

[gojiberry]

Checked the greenhouse and the new propagater is working well, The peas are through and the onions are increasing each day. Managed to get a couple of cheap amarillys bulbs in ceramic planter from tesco (£1.50 each). Had a trip down the local GC, they had 44 varieties of seed potato for sale talk about spoilt for choice, and that didn't include 14 organic varieties. Can't wait to get on the allotment, but looking at the weather today it will be weeks before it starts to dry out. Could do with a couple of dry days as I want to build some more raised beds.
Ian
gojilottie

[pigletwillie]

Down on the plots this morning. The tool shed on plot 1 and the tea shed on plot 2 were spring cleaned ready for a big surge tommorow.

[firsttimersue]

just returned from the allotment having spent three hours in the sunshine, weeding and spreading manure. Potted on some winter lettuce that are in the greenhouse, and sowed some leek seeds, packet says January and I'm soooooo itching to start, will sow some more in Feb and March!

I pulled some small carrots from pots which were meant for Christmas but were too small, they're still a bit small but v tasty!

It's all an exciting learning curve as only had the allotment since August.

[wellie]

Went through all the freezers and categorized every single container of frozen food (all made from stuff from the garden in one form or another) so that we know what we need to eat between now and when we move to France when the cottage sells to Mr. & Mrs. Gorgeous.

[Snadger]

Took car for MOT and left it at garage........walked from MOT station to allotment which took over an hour!
Everything was frozen including allotment and even inside greenhouses. Temperature was just on freezing point inside...........Chopped some logs and managed to get the woodburning stove lit...........soon had the temperature up to a pleasant 70 degrees inside!
I have a raised bed in the greenhouse which runs along one side and one end constructed like a dry stone wall (a re-used stone fire place!) I've decided I only want the raised bed along one side now though so proceeded to dismember the short wall and spread the contents over the other raised bed.This kept me warm until the stove warmed up!
I then stripped my recently dug Gladioli corms off the old corms and the bulbils and generally tidied them up for storage.

My intention is to get some chooks myself in March but I was sad to find out that Mr fox had paid a visit to one of the allotments last night and killed all 15 of one poor chaps chooks!

Anyway, after another one hour hike back to the MOT station I was relieved to find out my car had passed it's MOT after the mechanic had replaced a brake light bulb for free!

[pigletwillie]

Today I planted another cordon apple tree along the front fence of plot 1, only 4 more to do but the effort will make it a very productive strip of ground.

On plot 3 a bonfire was built, getting rid of offcuts of timber, sweetcorn haulms, soft fruit prunings and general non compostable or useable rubbish. By then it was time to road tax Kazzis car on the way home.